By ERIC GIRTEN
THE CATHOLIC KITCHEN
My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
There is a lot cookin’ in the Catholic Kitchen. So much so, that I have had some difficulty focusing on one topic for this article. So, I am going to give some brief overviews of what’s cookin’ here in the Office of Family and Life and call it a day.
October is the month we set aside to focus on the issue of Life. October is also a month we set aside for Mary, our Blessed Mother; for it was she who gave life to the One … who then gave His life … that each of us might have eternal life. I want to invite everyone, young and old, to participate in a diocesan rosary year, starting on the first Saturday this October (or whenever you can). Go here for much more information: http://www.evdio.org/the-rosary.html.
And unless you have been living in a cave for a while, you know that there is a national election coming up. There are many issues on the ballot, and one thing that sets Catholics apart from others is our focus on the respect, dignity and protection of life. The USCCB reaffirmed in 2019 that abortion remains a “preeminent” life issue among many, including euthanasia, capital punishment, bioethics, racism, poverty; and the list goes on. We are called to prayerfully educate ourselves regarding the positions taken by political candidates and make faithfully informed decisions. One document that may help is called “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” There are other resources available through the diocese and elsewhere to help as well.
Project Rachel is a post-abortion healing ministry that is (re)forming in the Diocese. We are currently engaged in finalizing a steering committee, prayer team, foundational structure and more so that we can move forward with a highly integrated and integrity-driven program. If you are interested in being a part of this diocesan program, please go to http://www.evdio.org/respect-life.html and fill out the volunteer application.
Next on the list is Walking with Moms in Need, a diocesan-wide information-gathering project to assess resources and gaps in services for pregnant families who can benefit from additional help. Go here for more details: http://www.evdio.org/walking-with-moms-in-need.html.
Further information related to the areas of marriage preparation, natural family planning, marriage support, environmental stewardship, capital punishment and more can be found at http://www.evdio.org/family-life.html.
My heartfelt thanks go out to all of the wonderful men and women of the diocese who contribute their hard-earned dollars to the Catholic Parishes Campaign, which makes all of this work – and so much more – possible.
Please pray for the diocese, our parish and school families, and our nation as we all continue to navigate our ways along our individual and collective paths; and remember that God does not abandon His children but lifts them up into His loving arms to brace against the harsh winds and embrace His most valuable treasure … You. Christ’s Peace.